Havana.- Seven dissidents and relatives of Maritza Lugo, vice-president of
the Frank País November 30th Party continued a hunger strike indefinitely on
March 5 in a call for the government to release this opponent of the regime.
Several have been arbitrarily arrested and detained since Dec. 23, 1999 in
the prison cells at 100th and Aldabó streets.

Those in the strike include Secundino Lugo, Gladys Fernández, Marisel Lugo
and Maribel Lugo, father and sisters respectively of Maritza, and Marcos
Lázaro Torres and Belkys Bárzaga, also of the November 30th Party and
Antonio Cabrera, vice president of the National Union Party. Some joined the
strike March 4 and others subsist without having ingested any food since
March 1. They take only water. Maritza began the strike in prison and
several others outside did the same.

A critic and opponent of the regime, Maritza Lugo against whom the Cuban
authorities still have not filed charges, has two daughters who also suffer
from the absence of their father. He is a government critic whom Fidel
Castro had put in prison several years ago.

According to the dissidents, the fasting is for "life or death" since they
are ready to go until the end if the vice-president of the November 30th
Party is not released.

As this note was written, some of the dissidents were showing worrisome
health symptoms.